Clothes swap

It's been pointed out to me that I haven't posted about anything since Valentine's Day. Sorry, I'll try and do better in March ;-)

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a clothes swap party. The bad weather, various colds and sniffles and scheduling problems meant that we only had 10 swappers (plus a few partners and children), but it was still a lot of fun. We woke to a fresh fall of snow so H and I took it in turns to go out and shovel the parking space. Normally we only do the tiny bit in front of our car if we need to get out but, as we were expecting guests, we had to do it Properly this time...


Once everyone had arrived we set out all the clothes in the Japanese-style room, had some tea and cake and then drew numbers to decide the order for choosing items to take home. Vivian (who helped me organise it all) and I got numbers 1 and 2, which was slightly embarrassing but secretly rather pleasing too...



We had 3 rounds of 'shopping', with different ways to decide who would go first each time. When everyone had had the chance to choose something 3 times, whatever was left was available to whoever wanted it, first-come-first-serve. The engawa, a little sunroom at the side, served as a changing room and the men served as child-minders.

(Yes, that's K in a big box)

So, do you want to see what I got? I think I did very well, although the clothes look much better in person (and on) than in these photos. You can't really appreciate the colour or shape here, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Firstly, a long-line checked shirt, fitted and with roll-up sleeves (my favourite). It's from H&M originally and looks brand-new. Perfect with skinny jeans and boots...

Next, a black and white polka-dot jersey dress. I don't wear dresses as much as I'd like to but I think that this one could be pretty versatile. The fabric is so soft, really lovely to the touch.

And finally, a rather cool little khaki bag with what looks like an Italian subway map printed on it. Just right for when I'm not with the boys and therefore don't have to carry nappies, toys, spare clothes, snacks... Oh, wait. I'll keep the snacks.

What do you think? Good haul, right? I miss having charity shops or jumble sales to rummage through, so this was great fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and are keen to do it again. The baking I did went down well too, so maybe I'll share the recipes with you later...

Off to bed now - tomorrow is K's birthday so I must conserve energy in preparation for fourteen 2-6 year olds running riot about the place after school...